Hooked On Driving

I’ve heard from many people that HOD events were very beginner friendly for track events as compared to many of the numerous organizers out there. Me and one of my buddies did there T-​Hill 5 mile event back in April and want to share my feedback from the event.
The cost of HOD events are about twice as expensive as the usual track day events but they cater to a more affluent crowd and it’s reflected in the great organization of their events and the nice cars that show up. For the beginners (Group A), you have to pay extra and have an instructor guide you on the track throughout the day. The type of instructor you’re paired with will depend on the type of car you drive and track experience level. Instructors are very helpful to help give you advise on their preferred lines to line for each corner. Very helpful.
The only reason why I docked two stars is because a staff member (blond hair guy, drove a white Subaru STI) went through my stuff and took my floor jack without asking for permission. One of my buddies saw the guy take my floor jack as if it belonged to him and started dragging the crap out of it on the uneven floor. Obviously this scratched the crap out of the caster wheels.
When I went to check up on the staff member thief, he didn’t say sh*t, just pretended nothing happened and had the audacity to make me help him. This thief never asked me if the jack belonged to me or anything. Usually at the more expensive track day events, attendees are more financially established, thus you don’t have to worry about people stealing tools. Apparently at HOD events, their blond staff member with the white Subaru STI likes to use other people’s stuff without permission. The unethical antics of the staff member thief left a bad impression on the organization. I can understand other attendees taking stuff without asking, but a staff member? seriously?
Like what others have said, HOD events are great for first timers, but the more experienced ends up attending events by other organizers due to the cost and point by passing restrictions.

Just did my first day with HOD at Laguna Seca. Loved it. I’m completely unfamiliar with track driving outside of a few days of go-​karting. HOD are a bunch of personable folks who really seem to love what their doing. That for me can cover a host of flaws under any circumstances, but there weren’t many to cover up.
It’s well organized, they’re experienced, and they try to make everyone feel comfortable. There are four groups and for the more experienced drivers it’s basically a track day with some coaching and help if you want it, while it’s very good training for newbies. I highly recommend it for anyone and everyone. Parents, take your wild driving kids so they can learn their limits and the limits of their vehicle in a relative safe environment.

I have now done around 8 days with HOD, including at least two each at Laguna Seca, ThunderHill, and Sonoma. I really like these guys, and would echo many of the other positive comments below. They create an environment where point by’s are not emasculating, and hence people do it, and traffic moves along well. People are pretty friendly and I think there is a geniune desire to not wad the cars up.
The instruction that I had early on was fantastic. I still ask for (and usually get) a coach for at least a session a day (not at Sonoma), and they are great. A while ago, I had the same coach all day long at ThurnderHill and this guy really opened my mind to different lines and ways at appraching some of the corners. Del pointed out to me the «David Ray» line into the corkscrew at MRLS and I may have dropped a half a second just based on that. Good fun!
They make a nice lunch, and I always look forward to meeitng some new friends at it. The ethic at these events is friendly. I also enjoy just crusing around and checking out the intersting cars. Five starts, I will continue to go back to HOD.

I did my first track day with HOD at Laguna Seca recently, and it was worth every penny. They offer plenty of track time (4 ~20min sessions) supplemented with classroom time and car control activities in the paddock. Never once did I feel at risk of damaging my car, and the instruction was excellent. I’ll definitley be using HOD again in the near future!

I have done over 15 HOD days at Thunderhill, Laguna, and Sonoma. These guys are a first rate operation all the way around with a focus on safety and fun. For the newbies, the instructors are a great asset to help you learn how to safely track your car. And for the non-​beginners, you get plenty of track time with not-​too-​crowded run groups. The people who attend their events tend to be solid, safe drivers with nice ($$) cars they do not want dinged up… you pretty much never see unsafe passing.
HOD is so good, the company I work for started hiring them a few years ago to manage company track days for us… we have done about 5 of these so far with HOD & all have gone great. You simply cannot go wrong with HOD :)

I’ve been to several track events with HOD and it is probably the best run event of them all. The run groups are very easy to navigate and if you need to move up or down, it is as simple as asking them to regroup you. Also, very handy if all run groups are sold out and there is only 1 open!!! I find the track time ample and the event not too crowded. I am withholding 1 star for the price, they are charging a PREMIUM for the track time as it is a bit cheaper with other clubs. Even with this said, I will certainly be back on track with them as everyone knows… racing is not cheap!

Good for first timers and access to Sonoma raceway, otherwise far more expensive than other track day clubs or racing clubs with no obvious value added for the money.

I just did Thunderhill Raceway’s 5 mile track with Hooked on Driving. Signed up as a beginner and they provided me with a coach that rode along with me in my car for the whole day. It was a good introduction to track driving and the instruction from the coach was great. I would definitely recommend this group if you’re interested in tracking your car for the 1^st time.

I just completed a full day even at Autobahn Country Club in Chicago. I have done many track day events and this was by far the most fun. The Hooked on Driving crew and Eric the event coordinator were extremely nice and helpful and made sure that the event ran smoothly and without incident. I commend these guys for making sure that we got our monies worth in track time. It had rained all morning so the track was washed out. They made sure to adjust the schedule accordingly and at the end of the day I probably got an additional hour of track time above and beyond what was scheduled. I will definitely be doing another track day with these guys! Thanks for the great time.

This HPDE is the best I’ve been to. I’ve done two others, one was through the SRT Track Experience (which came with my SRT-​4) and the other was Richard Petty Driving Experience in Vegas. Neither had laps with an instructor (except the one in a Dodge Viper at SRT) and Petty was in a modified Nascar so it’s a lot different of course. Also neither let me drive my own car at speed on a track. I have to say that the instructor was excellent and also the program was really well run and planned. Since it’s not competitive I quickly calmed down and felt relaxed behind the wheel driving my own car at speed! Learn effective lines, late braking, down shifting, passing, etc. What a thrill it was and I learned a great deal too. I’m looking forward to my next HOD stint coming up here at the end of October. Also you get good seat time on the course in your own car, unlike others. I actually turned down a few sessions at the end since my car was new and I just did not want to be that hard on my new car. It’s a little pricey but well worth the extra money, especially to learn technique!

Had a great time yesterday at Sonoma Raceway with Hooked on Driving. I know Thunderhill and Laguna Seca decently well but had never ventured onto Sears Pt/​Infineon before. Hooked on driving made the learning of a new track fun and exciting. Plenty of seat time with a great coach (Bob Sullivan). At the end of the day I still had a goofy grin on my face.

I’ve been driving track events for 3 years. Even though they are sometimes up to $ 100 more than other groups for open track days, Hooked On Driving is my favorite driving group. Everyone is helpful and friendly, and they want you to learn, do well and have fun. This is a low aggression/​ego/​attitude group which endorses good track etiquette to ensure every car goes home in the condition it arrived (less some gas!). The is the only group I’ve driven with where I have not seen cars go off track. I drive in the B group, I never have problems passing anyone. If you’re looking to «race», this is not the group for you.

I read Raymond L’s of Vallejo, CA, review and have to disagree. I’m 60 years-​old and just did my first car track day and it was one of the better organized and managed track events I’ve seen. Wait, I said I just did «my first track day» so how can it be one of the better events I’ve seen?
I’ve been to over 20 sport bike track days and also went to former MotoGP World Champion Freddie Spencer’s Race School and I ride in the expert group on motorcycle track days with the «real» racers (although they do blow me away). I’ve been to quite a few tracks and with many different clubs. Motorcycle track days are far more terrifying and dangerous than auto track days. I can’t recall a track day where at least one or two bikes were not totally wadded. Several had life-​flight helicopters making runs and many more being carted off by ambulance. Lots of crashes at every event.
Not so at HOD or with a car track day.
Although there is some truth to what Raymond says, he is being unfair in his comparison of HOD to the «real» track days with «real» racers.
HOD makes no pretense about its purpose. It’s a fun, safe track day for the novice and expert alike. Sure, the «real» experts can do the hard core, full metal jacket track days with other clubs. But there were plenty of «real» professional racers at HOD’s sponsored event at Homestead Speedway on March 17, 2013, and all of them got their $ 299 worth.
You can’t buy as much dynamite for the $ 299 HOD track fee. This is a great club and the culture of the club is relaxed with an emphasis on safety. It’s also a fantastic value.

I agree with just about all of the other positive reviews of HOD here. I’ve done a total of 10 track days, 2 with Hooked on Driving, and the rest with other outfits. I just wanted to provide some points of comparison between HOD and the others. This is actually an excerpt of the email I sent to HOD after my first track day with them about 3 months ago.
* Availability of free coaches. SV makes you pay for coaching, and it’s not cheap. This was a big deal for me especially since I was new to the track.
* De-​emphasis of lap-​times. We all want to go fast, but I now see the difference in attitude at a SV (or especially TM) event versus an HOD event. Much more willingness to point-​by and much less being a jerk on the track.
* Breakfast and Lunch. I enjoyed both the quality of the food and the communal, collegial atmosphere it creates when eating ‘cafeteria-​style’ instead of just getting something ‘to-​go’ from the trackside grill.
* Availability of Big-​O Tires. I’m not sure if this specific to Thunderhill, but having them available to talk through and test tire pressures made a real difference in my comfort and performance on the track, especially on such a hot day.
* Drivers meeting. It felt much less like a lecture and more like a briefing. The de-​briefs were also much less about pointing out people’s faults/​mistakes and more about learning the finer points of the track.
If you’ve done other track days, you’ll probably know what SV and TM are. I’m not saying that they are bad in any way, just a different focus.

Driving on a track as fast as you can is SO much fun-​it is NOTHING like driving out on the roads (and I grew up driving on and still live by fast fun curvy roads).
HOD does have strict passing rules for everyones safety and so the new person doesn’t have a heart-​attack and can actually learn something while out there paying their money (there really are a lot of things to learn for the newby). This is a club HPDE event and I keep going because not only is it so SO SOO fun, I also have grown to love/​like very much many of the people there. There are so many great coaches (if you feel like you dont fit with one, ask for another) who really want you to learn something and have fun (and go home in your car, not have to have it towed)! They are very into you having as much fun as you can while expanding yet remaining within your abilities. There is a coach for everyone (meaning for the person who knows nothing of driving on a track and wants to see what her/​his car will do to the person with a specific type of car who is in a more advanced group trying to sort out a specific turn or braking point or…) This isn’t a racing school, and if you have never driven on track before you will have to drive with the beginners and abide by strict passing rules and have a coach.
Sometimes the first run is frustratingly slow but its the time you learn the track– your line, brake point, turn in point, apex, when to give it gas, etc, and flag-​stations (you NEED to see a red or yellow flag when out, and when driving in the begining it can be hard to notice if you dont train yourself to look at the flaggers). Passing ALWAYS gets better as the days go on (and you can always pit and ask for some space on track and Turbo will send you out when there’s space). There are meetings after each session where passing is addressed. My first driving day (well, really ALL my driving days with HOD-​minus some of the very hot moments at thunderhill) I had a perma-​grin ALL day! This is about having fun. The coaches, flaggers, staff all want you to have fun, AND be safe (for your sake as well as other drivers). If you a a good enough driver, you can get bumped up to the next group if you ask. You wont get moved up if these very expert, knowledgeable «authorities» of HOD (experienced racers/​drivers and/​or Turbo-​the head on track man at the start/​finish line) decide you are a hazard to other drivers or yourself.
I’ve driven with other HPDE events and HOD is my favorite because of how professionally it is run. The instruction is the best in my experience-​readily available and thorough with a variety of experiences/​cars– and I have so much fun and I’ve developed so many friendships there I keep going back. The (carefully selected) coaches are there because they love driving and are huge enthusiasts and it brings them joy to see their students «get it». I know most of them aren’t getting paid-​they get a discount on their driving days. This is a labor of love.
If you decide to try it, I suggest studying the track you will be driving on (youtube) and/​or David Ray’s video about driving on track first (HOD website). It will give you an advantage and probably be more fun for you.
HOD is my favorite HPDE school.
See you out there, I’ve got my little track car-​red 1995 miata. (I originally was taking my streetcar, a 4 door acura TL-​which was a lot of fun, but couldn’t help myself and purchased a track car. Im not obsessed!!!)
FYI:
–SCCA is a racing school for those who want to go three wide through a turn at high speeds and pass through turns and or steal peoples apexes and get first place…
–NASA HPDE is very fun and a bit racier (good if you want to be a racer eventually)…If you have a problem with other peoples driving they tend to ask you how you handled it (rather than reprimand the person who «broke the rules”-in my experience.)
–Trackmasters is VERY fun, too, but I REALLY recommend HOD for first-​timers!!!

The staff is very nice and helpful and the sessions are well organized. They have some stupid passing rules that they need to change. A couple of times I had to wait ¾ of a lap just to pass some slower drivers. I was in group B (not even beginners) and I was allowed to pass only on a couple of turns, only on the left, only when the other driver allowed me to pass him. It’s ok to make sure that the driver you have to pass saw you, but it’s ridiculous that you need to wait to be on the other side of the track to pass… I payed over 300 $ to go fast with my car, I WANNA GO! NOW!

I’ve been driving with HOD for several years, so this review is a little late in coming. They are a fun and educational HPDE (high performance driving event) outfit with a professional and knowledgable staff run by David Ray, his wife and crew. There are usually four run groups with about twenty cars in each group (A thru D). The X Group is for the coaching staff and they provide rides in their cars during lunch break. The Novice, A Group has instructors that accompany you in the passenger seat of your car and provide their track expertise. This allows the new driver to get the track dialed in with safety and comfort. There are two 20 – 25 minute sessions in the morning followed by 3 – 4 afternoon sessions with a great buffet lunch included in the price. After each session there is de-​briefing meeting and discussions about track conditions, driving the line and technique is reviewed. You just don’t get this level of instruction in any other company. Learning about the performance capabilities of both you and your car is exciting and puts a grin on many faces. I’m now in the B/​C Group and enjoy driving and talking cars. I’ve also met and developed many friendships. I’ve had a great time every track event day and David Ray is always available to help me improve my skills. We both drive Mustangs, he drives a Miller Motorsport and I drive a Roush 427R.
Thanks for all the happy days I’ve shared with you and your crew! I’ll be back.

I have done track days with all of the major outfits and have found Hooked on Driving to be the best. David Ray and his staff and coaches seem to have an almost fanatical focus on their customers (me and the other drivers who come to the track days) and making sure we have a great experience. They have in-​car coaches any time I want one (unlike the other outfits). They have fewer cars on the track in each of the run groups (unlike the other outfits). I LOVE the emphasis they put on having fun and being safe — they repeat it all the time and they seem to really mean it. Every time I come home from a HOD track day I’m happy and exhilarated.
A couple of other things — it’s fun and very interesting and informative to socialize with the staff and the other customers about cars and driving. You learn A LOT every time you go out with HOD. Helpful resources always seem to be available if you need them — whenever I want to talk to a coach or David about my car or the track or driving or whatever, they spend the time it takes to get you what you want to know. I think therefore, that HOD provides the most fun and the best learning opportunity available. If you are focused on improving your high-​performance driving skills and abilities — in my opinion, this is the best outfit to help you do it. And if you just want to drive and not take advantage of any of these other things, you can do that too.
I love being able to go out with these guys and gals in a safe environment and drive as fast as I want to and not get a speeding ticket!

Do you love…
…to have fun?
…to drive (fast)?
…your car?
…to learn?
…an adrenaline rush?
…to meet new people like you?
If so, then you might want to check out a Hooked On Driving (HOD) event. This is NOT a «racing school» or for competition but it is a driving event where you get to drive on an actual race track.
The HOD people are really nice and normal and know their stuff. Most of the instructors have a ton of experience and have been doing this for a long time. Some have been racers in their past lives and are there to share their passion. They will teach you the fundamentals of driving your car safely and to its full potential, in a safe setting with no other careless/​on cell phone drivers around or other potential hazards (lights/​cyclists/​pedestrians). Everyone is there to have FUN and learn.
The benefit of HOD vs. «racing school» is that you are being taught USEFUL skills and having a great time doing it with no pressure. You go at your own pace. Also, the cost isn’t as high as going to a racing school ($ 300 vs. $ 1000+). You will definitely be a better driver afterwards.
What to expect:
–SNIP– just check out the website!
Typically, each group will go on track at least 3 or 4 times. Everyone will get to watch other groups on track when it’s not their turn. Also, students can ride with instructors to learn more by watching someone else (one of my favorite things – I’ve learned so much this way).
At the end of the day, you’ll be tired, a better driver and hopefully very happy. Hope to see you at track!